BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF YAHOO! ANSWERS FOR MARKETING
As more people turn to the internet to find information, search engines are becoming even more refined and intelligent. Searching with a basic keyword search isn’t the only option; as more people are looking for niche subject matter and details, sometimes a search engine can’t retrieve what a team of online experts and researchers might be able to track down. Participating in blogs, communities, forums, and other online interaction portals opens the doors to sorting through the wealth of information available online today. Still, as this knowledge market grows and grows in scope, it becomes even more difficult to find specific information.
Search engines such as Google and Yahoo! are leading the way in sorting and indexing the world’s information, making it easy to simply type in keywords and display results. Search engine rankings are a valuable part of marketing any idea or business; whether you are promoting a blog, article, video, or simply a comment, it’s important to know the details about how to write it effectively so that the search engine can index it appropriately. A high search engine ranking not only offers visibility, but you’ll increase your page rankings for similar sites and help with promotions.
Still, when you have a specific question, it’s now possible to turn to a new direction. Yahoo! Answers is a community-driven website launched by Yahoo! in late 2005. It allows all users to participate in a site-wide discussion forum, driven by user participation in asking and answering questions. The service itself is free of charge, and anyone can post a question and have it answered in a reasonable amount of time. Information that is posted on Yahoo! Answers is non-exclusive and royalty-free; it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere in the world and published in a variety of formats. Any type of question can be asked and answered, and each posting is indexed appropriately. The question of ‘What is Web Hosting’ has likely been answered in the Computers & Internet category, while ‘How do you change the tires on a 1995 Honda’ might be answered in the Automotive section. Yahoo! Answers covers a wide range of topics, subjects, and categories.
Yahoo! Answers has taken user forum participation to an entirely new level. Combining the power of search engines with a human touch, it represents a segment of Yahoo! communities with much success. Users can simply enter questions and answers in a simple text box and use as many resources to link within their responses. Unlike a chat room, Yahoo! Answers only allows users to ask and answer about a range of subjects; there is no ‘free-form’ chatting involved, and the community can rate the best answer as a group effort. As part of your online marketing efforts, you can take part in Yahoo! Answers to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. By providing useful and quality information on a regular basis, you will be building credibility and providing essential information. After this credibility is built, it becomes much easier to encourage users and visitors of your website to become subscribers. A subscriber list can help you gain a significant advantage for promoting and marketing your business week after week, month after month.
Yahoo! Answers is currently used in the United States and around the world. Popular international sites include Canada, India, Italy, Japan, France, Spain, and a U.K.-based version. Uses of Yahoo! Answers can also become a part of the Yahoo! Publisher Network. This is a place where you can start making money with an integration of Yahoo Answers for marketing.
